This is a story of a little Frasier Fir Tree at Erway’s Christmas Tree Adventure that someday will. The little guy has not been there very long but has been noticing how kids run wildly in their exuberance of playing hide and seek among the Big Trees. They narrowly miss treading on him because he is small. Kids are everywhere in the afternoon it seems in this vast field of trees, but he relishes the peace here in the morning sunshine before the crowds arrive, in his place among the Big Trees.

He loves the morning light glistening off his boughs, but really admires the Big Trees as they sparkle like diamonds.

Except for the hazard of getting stepped on, he loves his place among many Big Trees, a place in the sun, rich soil and fresh country air. One day he will be big, grow tall, and be able to see the world as all the trees around him see it. He will have a bird’s nest grace his strong branches. He will dutifully protect the nest from wind, rain, and things that go bump in the night.

The Proposal

Last week, he noticed how one of the Big Trees had a young couple admiring it, scrutinizing it from every angle. Then he heard squeals of jubilation fill the air. More and more people were gathering around the Big Concolor, the men shaking hands, and the women kissing everyone.

One excited man had adorned a branch tip of the Big Concolor with an engagement ring for his honey to find.

A Reenactment

That tree became so important as the man, down on one knee, proposed at the foot of the Big Concolor destined to become first in a yearly tradition. His honey screamed, “Yes”, and threw her arms lovingly around him, and all was right with the world.

“It’s not every day that a marriage proposal happens at a Christmas tree farm,” the young tree thought, “We are planted here for great things.”

But then he worried, “Who would want such a little tree as me with scrawny branches to hold a ring?”

“No worries,” said the biggest Pine next to him, “someone will think you’re that special one day.”

“All trees go on to greatness,” chirps a little bluebird, sitting on a his scrawny bough, bending it low, almost touching the ground.

But what he and his little friends have been noticing is that many people are wandering around pointing at the big trees. He sees the top of a tree falling and hears the tree let out a sad groan. It falls to the ground and people gather around. He notices that in winter the people come and fell some of the largest trees.

“Why?”, he asks, trembling in his every bough. “And then, what happens then?”, he says with nervousness and trepidation. He watches as the proposal tree falls and everyone is crying with joy. Joy! Even the Big Trees are rejoicing. “But why, why,” he emphatically questions.

“This happens every year,” the Big Trees say. The young Fir Tree saw the magnificent proposal tree fall to the earth with a terrifying cracking noise. The people then laid the Big Proposal Tree in a wagon, and the tractor dragged it out of the fields, never to be seen again. “The tree was important,” the little Frasier Tree said. “Why is it gone?”

“Where did it go to? What became of it?”, he alarmingly asked, filled with more and more questions. More questions than the Big Trees could possible answer at one time.

The bigger trees explained it is an honor to become a Christmas Tree. “What honor,” he asked, and “What is a Christmas Tree?”

They tell him that Christmas is a tradition for a tree to be felled and transported to a new home. It is to stand in a large room by the fireplace that welcomes Santa. The Big Concolor has much honor and became a fond Christmas memory for the young, newly engaged couple, the Big Trees explained.

“You said, ‘memory’, that means it is gone,” said the little Frasier.

“Not gone, my son, off to a home to celebrate, and to create memories that last a lifetime” said the large Austrian. “There are few memories like that of a first Christmas, and the first real Christmas tree.”

“But why, it makes no sense for a tree to live the rest of its life inside a warm home. Does the tree not die? ”

“Yes, my son,” says the Big Balsam. “It dies in honor.”

“You said honor again, why is this an honor?” Being a young tree, he quickly changes the subject and asks another question before they even get to explain the last one.

Perplexed, he asked, “How did they know all this? You could not leave to find out?” They went onto explain how the birds that nest in their branches each spring tell them the stories and bring back pictures of trees bejeweled in light residing inside homes.

“So how do the birds know,” he wondered?

“Well, tiny Fir, people feed the birds at Christmas and the birds see all that is happening through the windows of the houses. People place the feeders near the windows to watch the birds, but little do the people know, the birds are watching them too. Birds travel the world over and gain much knowledge. Birds are our friends, little one,” said a very old and wise Spruce.

“Go on, please,” the Little Fir says. The Big Trees went on the describe that the tradition holds for a Christmas tree to be adorned with ornaments of gold, silver and red. In olden times, the trees were decorated with candles, which were lighted in honor of Christ’s birth. “Honor and tradition are why we are grown”, said an equally knowledgeable Big Pine.

“Such brightness and grandeur,” he exclaimed at first, but then it hits him. All he could think about was how a candle would set fire to his branches, alighting him in fiery fury. That is a frightening thought and the little tree quivered in every bough. This even scared him more than being chopped down.

The Big Trees went on to say that presents are put under the tree by Santa for the good little girls and boys to find Christmas morning. The children dance in delight around the tree, wrapping paper flying about.

“More, more, more, I had no idea we were so important,” said the Little Fir.

“Yes, little one, you are important. You are a little Fir Tree, one in many, for over 1000 years, originating in Northern Europe. You will one day have your own Christmas to preside over,” a beautiful Douglas Fir added.

“I have heard from my friend the bluebird that we are so important, that humans make plastic trees in our image to use at Christmas,” said a Hemlock.

“So why do they need us?” the little Fir quickly asked.

“I have not heard from the birds why they do this though, but I venture a guess it is like when they make statues of themselves, and that is important,” the Hemlock responded.

“So I am destined for such an important a career?” he questions.

“Yes, my little friend, you will have a wondrous career,” the Grand Fir said.

The big trees go on to say how people gather around and sing songs and tell stories.

“What’s that you say? We are the center of attention?”

“No little one. We are only part of a bigger story, one with great meaning, celebrating a biblical account of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ. You have much to learn, little fellow. We will do our best to impart our wisdom before the day we are to be selected for the great honor of celebrating Christmas.”

Hope you enjoyed the tale, the part about the couple was TRUE! I did not witness the happy occasion, though. One of Santa’s Helpers told me the very endearing story that happened last weekend.

So have a great weekend yourself and I will be looking to find more memories being made this weekend. I plan to keep an eye out for the little Fir so he does not get stepped on, either.

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About Garden Walk Garden Talk

I love to photograph, paint, draw, design, garden, travel the world, and pass on a few tips and ideas that I learned through experience as a Master Gardener and architect. I am highly trained in my field and enjoy my work each and every day. I garden in Niagara Falls, NY in zone 6-B. Find me at: http://gardenwalkgardentalk.com

Great story! I was feeling a little guilty cutting down a tree each year but by the end of the story I was beginning to feel better. I love the smell of a real tree decorated with sentimental ornaments. Enjoy your weekend Donna! I have some catching up to do in the blogging world. It has been a very busy December already.

Donna this was a wonderful post girl !!
Now how inventive could that guy be to hide in plain sight the engagement ring in such a very special way : ) amazingly romantic !!
I loved the story and the tiny tree that will some day be a beautiful big Xmas tree is perfect !
We use an artificial one .. I feel too guilty using real ones .. but then again I use real boughs to decorate the front entrance .. so there I am using a real tree some how ? LOL
Thanks for the great read here Donna girl : )
Joy

Like Karin, I too was feeling a bit guilty at first, but will take extra special steps to let my tree know it’s important to us. Loved the engagement story, too. We are going to a light park as part of our Christmas celebration, and my daughter told me that’s where her husband proposed to her. Such sweet memories.

No, no! It’s so sad! I really am sad! It’s hurting. I don’t want it to grow up to be chopped down so it can look pretty for a while, and then chucked!

I like Christmas trees. We always have a small, living one, which comes in and out of our house each Christmas until it gets too big to handle. (At present, we have a blue spruce instead of the traditional Norwegian type.) But this isn’t practical for everyone so, although I get attached to plants as ‘beings’, when it comes to December, I have to decide they have no consciousness at all – otherwise, I would never enjoy Christmas.

sorry Donna but felling is more than I can bear. Sad to see the after Christmas without the bling castoffs. I know many are recycled but hey a tree is for life not just for Christmas. Lovely Christmas story though and thanks for putting me in the festive mood. Have a little tree waiting to come in for its 3rd Christmas
p.s. witnessed an engagement act at a skating rink last week. Figured the man had fallen over and was covering his blushes with a proposal on one knee. Have a short story in mind for this one 😉

Well I hope he survives for the time being Donna. You are so good at this perhaps you can do a similar tale on how the little poult will grow up to be a nice big turkey and also give us so much pleasure, (now, come on, stop it that’s enough of that, just so wrong, ehh ssorry.) I have enjoyed garden walk immensely in 2011 and look forward to what will be going on next year alistair.

Wonderful story, Christmas is not real without a Christmas tree, or so I always thought. Being Norwegian I do have a somewhat special relationship with the Norway spruce! But here in London my house is tiny, my living room is the size where you have to go outside to change your mind, and having a table size Christmas tree is just not my thing. Instead I decorate with garlands and lights and a real spruce wreath on my front door. I do miss a ceiling high, wonderfully scented Christmas tree though….Thanks for the story, Donna, take care.